Former international rugby star Gareth Thomas became the first openly gay top-level rugby player after coming out in an interview with British newspaper The Daily Mail.

The 35-year-old Thomas, Wales’ most-capped player after appearing in 100 tests*, retired from internationals after the 2007 World Cup, but still plays for Welsh provincial side Cardiff Blues.

Read more about Gareth Thomas coming out in CNN and WalesOnline.

* Translation: Thomas was a member of the Welsh national team on 100 occasions against other teams in international competition.

The Fog Men will take a brief holiday break before launching into league play early next year.

This week’s Thursday night (12/24) training will be replaced by voluntary Christmas Eve touch rugby at Fog Rugby’s Treasure Island pitch.

Next week, the men will hold a regular training session on Tuesday, December 29, followed by a “Christmas and New Year’s Spectacular All-Welsh Pub Crawl” (further details available that night at training). Training is suspended on New Year’s Eve (Thursday, December 31).

Fog Rugby will be ringing in the New Year on Saturday, January 2, with a pre-season A-side vs. B-Side trial game at 1pm, January 2, on Treasure Island.

Regular training resumes on January 5 in preparation for the first league game of the 2010 season on Saturday, January 9, against Berkeley on Treasure Island.

Grab your beach towels (?!) on Wednesday, December 16 and celebrate the holidays with Fog Rugby at White HOT Christmas Bingo, a benefit for Tenderloin Tessie’s and the SFFD Local 798 Toy Drive presented by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

In addition to feasting your eyes on a special performance by Fog ruggers, you can win big money at the games, haul home great prizes from the raffle, and show off your “holiday package” in the tropical swimsuit competition! Not your ordinary bingo…not your ordinary holiday…who knew winter could be this hot?! Learn more at www.sistersbingo.com.

Bring a new, unwrapped toy/gift (for infants to 12-year-olds) for the toy drive and get 10 free raffle tickets! They are especially looking for gifts for older children (sporting goods & bath/body products).

Place: Green Room at the War Memorial Building (401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco)
Date: Wednesday, December 16
Time: 7:00pm to 10:00pm

This Saturday, December 12, the Fog Men will host two matches honoring the memories of two larger-than-life rugby players.

The annual Bingham Stein match kicks off at 11:30am with the Fog Men’s A-Side facing off against the Redding Highlanders. The Bingham Stein is a symbol of the first meeting between the two teams, which took place a few weeks after September 11, 2001. Proposing that the match be played in honor of the Fog’s No. 8, Mark Bingham, who lost his life aboard United flight 93, the Highlanders furnished a commemorative beer stein that each year goes home with the winner.

At 1pm the Fog B-Side will play the San Jose Silverhawks in the Mike Sammon Memorial Game, held in honor of the late Mike Sammon, a long time member of the Seahawk rugby family and fixture in the South Bay rugby community for 26 years who passed away in 2006.

Both matches will take place at the Fog Rugby Pitch on Treasure Island.

Come out to Treasure Island this Saturday, December 5, for a day of exciting Fog Rugby matches!

The first kickoff is at 11am, with the Fog Women hosting the South Bay Sequoias in a friendly match.

The afternoon will see the Fog Men facing off against the University of Nevada, Reno. The A Side match kicks off at 1pm with the B Side match to follow.

All matches will take place at the Fog Rugby pitch on Treasure Island.

This weekend offers not one but two exciting opportunities to enjoy a good time with the men and women of Fog Rugby at the LookOut Bar in the Castro.

On Friday, November 20, join us for the Fog Friday Beer Bust where you’ll get all the Budweiser beer you can drink from 6pm to 9:30pm for only $8! Come on out, unwind after a hard work-week, and enjoy a beer with the men and women of Fog Rugby.

Fog Friday Beer Bust

Place: LookOut Bar (corner of 16th and Market Streets, San Francisco)
Date: Friday, November 20
Time: 6:00pm to 9:30pm

On Sunday, November 22, Fog Rugby is back again as the host of Jock Sunday, a weekly afternoon/early evening, high-energy jump fueled by a rotating cast of top name DJs. Packed every Sunday with hot, sweaty, jocular boys — and girls — Jock is all-star! The party starts at 3pm and there’s a suggested $2 donation at the door.

Jock Sunday

Place: LookOut Bar
Date: Sunday, November 22
Time: 3:00pm

Be sure to check out the selection of Fog Rugby T-shirts and hats on sale at both events. We’ll also be raffling off exciting prizes, so don’t miss out!

Relatives of the victims of United Airlines flight 93 gathered at the plane’s crash site in western Pennsylvania today, taking part with in a groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial to honor the passengers who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. They were joined by Ken Salazar, US Secretary of the Interior.

Mark Bingham, an early member of the San Francisco Fog, was one of the 38 passengers on that flight. He was 31 years old at the time of the crash.

The San Francisco Fog is exceedingly proud to host two top-flight women's rugby tournaments this weekend.

On Friday, November 6, the Women’s Division I Club Championships will kick off, featuring the nation's top women's club teams in pool play. The clubs head into the trophy rounds on Sunday, November 8, culminating in the crowning of the 2009 National D1 Champions.

This weekend also sees the first Women's Premier League (WPL) Championship. Newly introduced for the 2009 club rugby season, the WPL pitted eight top senior women's clubs from across the U.S. against each other in an elite six-week competition.

Hosted by The San Francisco Fog R.F.C. in association with USA Rugby, both events will take place at the Gaelic Athletic Association's field at 11th Street and Avenue E on Treasure Island. Admission is free to all spectators. There will be vendors selling food, refreshments and rugby gear.

UPDATE: Select matches will also be available for live viewing online (as well as replay) via Ustream.tv USA Rugby channel. See the schedules below for details.

Match Schedule – Women's D1 Championships

Match	Day	Time	Field	Home Team	Away Team
1*	Friday	9:00am	1	NOVA	Seattle
2*	Friday	11:00am	1	San Diego Surfers	Atlanta
3*	Sunday	10:00am	1	Seattle	Atlanta
4*	Sunday	12:00pm	1	NOVA	San Diego Surfers

*Match will be streamed live and available for replay on Ustream.tv.

UPDATE: In Match 1, NOVA beat Seattle 25-23. In Match 2, the Surfers beat Atlanta 21-10.

Match Schedule – Women's Premier League

Match	Day	Time	Field	Home Team	Away Team
1	Friday	9:00am	2	Amazons	ORSU
2	Friday	11:00am	2	Keystone	DC Furies
*3*	Friday	1:00 pm	1	Beantown	New York
4	Friday	1:00pm	2	Berkeley	MN Valkyries
5	Sunday	9:00am	2	ORSU	DC Furies
6	Sunday	11:00am	2	Amazons	Keystone
7	Sunday	1:00pm	2	Beantown	MN Valkyries
*8*	Sunday	2:00pm	1	Berkeley	New York

*Match will be streamed live and available for replay on Ustream.tv.

UPDATE: In Match 1, the Amazons beat ORSU 27-20. In Match 2, Keystone beat the Furies 27-5. In Match 3, New York beat Beantown 13-10. In Match 4, Berkeley beat the Valkyries 19-5.

President Obama today signed the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law. The law is named after Matthew Shepard, a Wyoming college student tortured and killed because he was gay, and James Byrd, a black man lynched by white supremacists.

The Matthew Shepard-James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence, where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

The San Francisco Fog R.F.C. stands united in working towards a future in which such acts never occur.

In the first video below, Matthew Shepard’s mother, Judy Shepard, speaks about her son’s life. The second video recounts James Byrd’s murder and its aftermath.

The Men of the San Francisco Fog will play in a round-robin day of rugby on Halloween, Saturday, October 31st.

The Fog will be joined by Berkeley RFC and the San Bruno Saints in round-robin play, with multiple sides from Berkeley and the Fog taking part. The day will include a total of six 40-minute games at the Fog Rugby pitch on Treasure Island with first kickoff at 11am.

Also on Saturday, the Fog Women will travel to Palo Alto to take part in the annual Stanford 10s Tournament. The tournament takes place at Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium and begins bright and early at 7:45am.

Training for both the Fog Men and Fog Women continues every Tuesday and Thursday, from 7:30 to 9:30pm.